Personal Space
Such a Tool!
Joel, Jenna, Mike, Rashida and the bots were all heading down the metal corridors of the Satellite of Love. It felt good to finally have some skin and beating hearts in this cold, dark place. (Not that motherboards and metal are all bad, but a human needs humans.)
"Alright!" Joel said, sack of tools slung over his back. He spun around to face the group he had just led through the dark and scary corridors. Jenna and Rashida both didn't know yet if they could trust him. He seemed harmless, but...they made that mistake once before....and they wouldn't make it again. "This is where we split!" Joel slammed the bag full of metallic items on the steel-grate floors with a swack. The sudden noise made them all jump.
"What do you mean, 'split'?" Rashida asked defensively, sorta forgetting about their cover-story. Joel, still searching through his bag for his hard hat with the little black 'G' shaped like a gear for gizmonics, looked up at Rashida with a slightly stand-offish look.
"Well, didn't mean to get your jumpsuit in a twist, ma'am." He said, politely, squeezing his head into the yellow hard hat. He lifted a hand and flipped a wrench, handle-side out, to Mike. "Alright, hon. You're gonna need this. After all, you can't fix a bolt with your barehands now, can you?" He gave him a sweet smile and a light chuckle before reaching back into the bag. Mike's face was flushed white. He just stared at the foreign tool clenched in his cleanly fingers. He'd honestly never used any tools before. He himself was the only tool in his life.
"I can't, though..." He said plainly, shaking his head and nudging Joel's shoulder with the wrench. Joel slowly looked up at him. He saw what Mike was trying to do. "I can't fix ANYTHING...I-I.." He chuckled, frustrated at himself, and looked away from Joel before darting his glance back at Joel, "I just screw things up..." Joel smiled at Mike's comment. He tipped the rim of his hard hat, grabbed the sack, slung it back over his shoulder whilst standing up straight, and slammed a hand on Mike's shoulder,
"Well, then maybe you'll need a screwdriver too?" He poked his belly gently with the butt of a screwdriver. Mike looked down at the tool and slowly wrapped his hand around it. Once his hand was fully around the handle, Joel smiled, nodded, and walked over to Rashida. "What are you good with?" Rashida's eyes grew wide. Her mind was somewhere else during all this, so she hadn't paid any attention to her surroundings.
"Excuse me?" She said, hand on hip. Joel chuckled and swung the bag back on the ground in front of her, the opening wide so she could see all the tools.
"What tool do you use: Wrench, screwdriver, saw, hammer, anything electric--I got 'em all!" He glanced, proudly, up at her from his bentdown position. She realized what he meant and gave a 'you are so lame' scoff before rolling her eyes and saying,
"Whatever you use, I'll use...." She held her empty hand out and waited, impatiently.
"If you insist..." He said, shrugging and rummaging. Eventually, he yanked out an enormous Power Multi-Tool, one of those fancy ones with all the tools built in on a rotor that spins whichever direction you choose. It was nice, I'll give it that, but poor thing was a monster in size. He hustled greatly to lift it before dropping it down in her one hand, sending her collapsing to the floor. He grabbed his bag, shot up, tipped his hard hat and said, "Good luck, ma'am! Go with Mike down to the left corridor and make your way to the end, fixing anything that needs fixing." With that, he walked to Jenna.
"M-Mike!? Wait!" Rashida dreaded this moment more than she dreaded---oh well, I won't give anything away. She sighed and yanked the enormous tool up, stumbling towards Mike. "Hey, pretty boy!" She said, to which Mike didn't know was directed at him. She rolled her eyes, "Michael!" She refused to be personal with him.
"Huh...?" He replied, dumbfoundedly examining his wrench.
"Take this, wouldja?" She inched closer to him and grunted in pain. Mike, not looking up from his wrench, held out his free hand.
"Oh, yeah yeah sure...." He was not paying any attention, just as she wasn't before. She took this chance to get revenge..even though it wasn't him who did it. She lifted it with one big heave and let go, dropping it down on his hand and sending him tumbling to the floor.
---
"Alright, Jen!" Joel said, finally reach her after a long walk. He set the bag on a panel next to her and rummaged through it, "Now, what tools are you known for, huh?" He said, licking his bottom lip indefinitely as he concentrated.
"Oh, um..." She shrugged awkwardly, "I don't know..." She had no idea what any tools really were or what they did. She was more of a gun--ohp, again with the giving away of stuff. Sorry. Jenna shot a quick observant glance inside the bag he was searching and one thing caught her eye. "I'd say a power drill." She nodded, assuredly.
"Great!" Joel exclaimed, yanking out the item and handing it to her. Along with it, he pulled out a utility belt with several drill-bits and screws in it and handed it to her as well. "I've always wanted someone to use this old girl!" He smiled and patted the rusty old drill. Standing up, he checked to see if Rashida had taken orders. To his surprise, she did. She, and the enormous tool, and the Power Multi-Tool (see what I did there) and all left down the left corridor. "Good, everything seems to be going smoothly." He took out a medium-sized metal tool box and shoved a couple of items in it. "Crow, Servo!"
Both bots ran to him, shoving each other like it was a race.
"I want you guys to take this bag and sit right between both corridors. If one of either of us calls for you, bring a couple of tools and utensils down the hall and to us, got it?" Joel ordered.
"Y'absolutely!" The bots said in sync,
"Hey!" They synced again.
"JINX, YOU OWE ME A SODA!" Both said again.
"JINX AGAIN!" They said again. Joel rolled his eyes at them and waited a few seconds.
"JINX AGAIN!" They both said, but this time Joel joined,
"You both can't talk until we say your name!" Joel followed his side of the rules and they, reluctantly, followed theirs. "Alright, good thats over. Let's go!" He added, turning to the right corridor and beckoning for Jenna.
This was it!
Jenna could finally be alone with this absolutely adorable man! The guy she actually dreamed of!...All but his career....
She cleared her throat and swiped away all her thoughts,
"Lead the way!"
"Alright!" Joel said, sack of tools slung over his back. He spun around to face the group he had just led through the dark and scary corridors. Jenna and Rashida both didn't know yet if they could trust him. He seemed harmless, but...they made that mistake once before....and they wouldn't make it again. "This is where we split!" Joel slammed the bag full of metallic items on the steel-grate floors with a swack. The sudden noise made them all jump.
"What do you mean, 'split'?" Rashida asked defensively, sorta forgetting about their cover-story. Joel, still searching through his bag for his hard hat with the little black 'G' shaped like a gear for gizmonics, looked up at Rashida with a slightly stand-offish look.
"Well, didn't mean to get your jumpsuit in a twist, ma'am." He said, politely, squeezing his head into the yellow hard hat. He lifted a hand and flipped a wrench, handle-side out, to Mike. "Alright, hon. You're gonna need this. After all, you can't fix a bolt with your barehands now, can you?" He gave him a sweet smile and a light chuckle before reaching back into the bag. Mike's face was flushed white. He just stared at the foreign tool clenched in his cleanly fingers. He'd honestly never used any tools before. He himself was the only tool in his life.
"I can't, though..." He said plainly, shaking his head and nudging Joel's shoulder with the wrench. Joel slowly looked up at him. He saw what Mike was trying to do. "I can't fix ANYTHING...I-I.." He chuckled, frustrated at himself, and looked away from Joel before darting his glance back at Joel, "I just screw things up..." Joel smiled at Mike's comment. He tipped the rim of his hard hat, grabbed the sack, slung it back over his shoulder whilst standing up straight, and slammed a hand on Mike's shoulder,
"Well, then maybe you'll need a screwdriver too?" He poked his belly gently with the butt of a screwdriver. Mike looked down at the tool and slowly wrapped his hand around it. Once his hand was fully around the handle, Joel smiled, nodded, and walked over to Rashida. "What are you good with?" Rashida's eyes grew wide. Her mind was somewhere else during all this, so she hadn't paid any attention to her surroundings.
"Excuse me?" She said, hand on hip. Joel chuckled and swung the bag back on the ground in front of her, the opening wide so she could see all the tools.
"What tool do you use: Wrench, screwdriver, saw, hammer, anything electric--I got 'em all!" He glanced, proudly, up at her from his bentdown position. She realized what he meant and gave a 'you are so lame' scoff before rolling her eyes and saying,
"Whatever you use, I'll use...." She held her empty hand out and waited, impatiently.
"If you insist..." He said, shrugging and rummaging. Eventually, he yanked out an enormous Power Multi-Tool, one of those fancy ones with all the tools built in on a rotor that spins whichever direction you choose. It was nice, I'll give it that, but poor thing was a monster in size. He hustled greatly to lift it before dropping it down in her one hand, sending her collapsing to the floor. He grabbed his bag, shot up, tipped his hard hat and said, "Good luck, ma'am! Go with Mike down to the left corridor and make your way to the end, fixing anything that needs fixing." With that, he walked to Jenna.
"M-Mike!? Wait!" Rashida dreaded this moment more than she dreaded---oh well, I won't give anything away. She sighed and yanked the enormous tool up, stumbling towards Mike. "Hey, pretty boy!" She said, to which Mike didn't know was directed at him. She rolled her eyes, "Michael!" She refused to be personal with him.
"Huh...?" He replied, dumbfoundedly examining his wrench.
"Take this, wouldja?" She inched closer to him and grunted in pain. Mike, not looking up from his wrench, held out his free hand.
"Oh, yeah yeah sure...." He was not paying any attention, just as she wasn't before. She took this chance to get revenge..even though it wasn't him who did it. She lifted it with one big heave and let go, dropping it down on his hand and sending him tumbling to the floor.
---
"Alright, Jen!" Joel said, finally reach her after a long walk. He set the bag on a panel next to her and rummaged through it, "Now, what tools are you known for, huh?" He said, licking his bottom lip indefinitely as he concentrated.
"Oh, um..." She shrugged awkwardly, "I don't know..." She had no idea what any tools really were or what they did. She was more of a gun--ohp, again with the giving away of stuff. Sorry. Jenna shot a quick observant glance inside the bag he was searching and one thing caught her eye. "I'd say a power drill." She nodded, assuredly.
"Great!" Joel exclaimed, yanking out the item and handing it to her. Along with it, he pulled out a utility belt with several drill-bits and screws in it and handed it to her as well. "I've always wanted someone to use this old girl!" He smiled and patted the rusty old drill. Standing up, he checked to see if Rashida had taken orders. To his surprise, she did. She, and the enormous tool, and the Power Multi-Tool (see what I did there) and all left down the left corridor. "Good, everything seems to be going smoothly." He took out a medium-sized metal tool box and shoved a couple of items in it. "Crow, Servo!"
Both bots ran to him, shoving each other like it was a race.
"I want you guys to take this bag and sit right between both corridors. If one of either of us calls for you, bring a couple of tools and utensils down the hall and to us, got it?" Joel ordered.
"Y'absolutely!" The bots said in sync,
"Hey!" They synced again.
"JINX, YOU OWE ME A SODA!" Both said again.
"JINX AGAIN!" They said again. Joel rolled his eyes at them and waited a few seconds.
"JINX AGAIN!" They both said, but this time Joel joined,
"You both can't talk until we say your name!" Joel followed his side of the rules and they, reluctantly, followed theirs. "Alright, good thats over. Let's go!" He added, turning to the right corridor and beckoning for Jenna.
This was it!
Jenna could finally be alone with this absolutely adorable man! The guy she actually dreamed of!...All but his career....
She cleared her throat and swiped away all her thoughts,
"Lead the way!"